B L U E S A N C T N E W S:
2009/2010 ARCHIVE
[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF JANUARY ]
Welcome to the Drekka Soundsystem
2010 is here... a new decade and there is always that built in pressure to 'make this one count' or some sort of nonsense.
Here at Bluesanct HQ, we are going to simply keep on keeping on... and we hope you will come along.
2009 ended with a lot of exciting travel for me... first was the MATTERS OF TONE tour to celebrate the 13th Annivesary re-issue of my first two cassettes from 1996... then came a two week vacation in Jamaica to relax and listen to dancehall (photos of the trip can be seen HERE
I just updated the discography with three new items, all of which are also AVAILABLE NOW at the Bluesanct Mail Order site.
There are not one, but TWO new full-lengths from Drekka... one of which is even a DOUBLE CD with a hand-made book! The other is a full-length cassette, out on Digitalis Limited and already SOLD OUT at the label site. SO, get that one now, or forever hold your peace (or go find a download of it somewhere).
The other exciting new release I am involved with is the second full-length album by ANNELIES MONSERE! It took almost as long as a Drekka album to make (ALMOST), but it was worth the wait... and it features all sort of guests, from Drekka to Vollmar and rivulets to Jessica Bailiff, Circle Brothers and Puddle Parade! A Day2 Alliance all-star ensemble!
As my mind and mood allows, I have some goals for this year which I think should be reasonable and achievable:
1) Finish new Drekka album, entitled 'Tarwestraat' and begun over two years ago.
2) Finish second collected works set, with everything recorded in 1997.
3) Get rid of over 1/2 my stuff, incl most of the Bluesanct back catalogue.
4) Tours... a small east coast tour in March to see my folks, a two week tour of Iceland in June and a full month of Europe in autumn, hopefully including Scandinavia.
5) As Wim put it, to have some sort of life outside Bluesanct/Drekka.
Lots of stuff to do... and a huge list of other possible things likely to happen as well... two things coming up are a live cassette on El Tule and a live collaborative track by DREKKA and ANNELIES MONSERE for FRIENDS & RELATIVES... both are culled from recordings from the MATTERS OF TONE tour, taken from shows in Belgium... more info on those soon.
For now, welcome in 2010 and I'll be in touch soon.
As always. sorry for the rambling.
[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : EIGHTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST ]
Aargh... I was getting good at it, too. I updated the site at least once a month for a while there. It felt good.
Then, I went and got all busy and lost track of time! We've been doing all sort of stuff... filming a new VOLLMAR video (see photo above)... recording super group sessions in the living room... I've been working on the Drekka re-issues for Morc and with booking my tour for November to suppor the re-issues.
Well, tonight I went in and added a few new releases on Bluesanct and our side-label, Orphanology.
BLUESANCT:
We've got the new 10" by BODUF SONGS out as of August 11th! It's going fast, so check it out NOW before it's gone!
I put together the first batch of BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST CDs. I am hand-assembling them all, which involve lots of printing, then screenprinting... then cutting, scoring, folding, glueing and collating... they take a while to make, but they are GORGEOUS! Take a look HERE and HERE.
ORPHANOLOGY:
We've brought our sister label, Orphanology, down from the attic (Dollhouse joke). In the past, we've used Orphanology to do about a dozen very small editions of special releases and orphaned projects by bands on the label.
Now, we've begun the adventurous ALPHABET SERIES, which will bring us 26 releases from artists in our community and on the label. We haven't really got it all planned or official, but the first one is out... LETTER H:
HENRY BLOOD is the son of my cousin and early bluesanct artist, DARRYL BLOOD. Henry has graced us with his first masterpiece at the age of only 8 MONTHS OLD! And it's REALLY GOOD!
So, in addition to all this, I have been working through the DREKKA ARCHIVE to start a series of re-issues... the first will be a double CD on MORC, entitled 'Someday I will be called upon regarding matters of tone: Collected Works, Vol.1 (1995-1996)'.
This long winded titled release wil include two discs containing the first two cassettes (3 LONG out of print EPs) by Drekka, as well as everything else recorded during the first two years I began using the name. In addition to the three EPs included, it will feature a handful of unreleased and recently unearthed tracks from those first few sessions.
I will go on a three week tour of Europe to promote the release, in November 2009.
Drekka also has a cassette coming out in time for the tour, on the wonderful DIGITALIS INDUSTRIES label out of Oklahoma. It is called 'Ancestral Cave Sequence' and includes the live audio collage I did for an installation of video, sound and sculpture by Andrew Perry January of this year. More info when I get a release date from DIGITALIS.
I guess that's enough for now... Let's see if I can get back on track and update more often.
I hope you enjoy the new releases, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions/concerns.
Until soon...
Mkl.
[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : TWENTY-NINTH DAY OF APRIL ]
Can you spot me in this photo Chris Carter (of Throbbing Gristle) took as he left the stage at the TG show in Chicago this past weekend?
I felt like a little boy, unable to keep still or thrash about.
Anyway...
I just posted our BLUESANCT spring 2009 NEWSLETTER, which contains most of the news of late... you should probably just READ IT there.
To paraphrase, what is says is:
• The BODUF SONGS 10" is almost done, and we're taking PREORDERS NOW
• The SYNTHESISIA CD came in sooner than expected, and is AVAILABLE NOW.
• The BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST CD is nearing completion with sample MP3s posted in SOUND
• We've got a new VOLLMAR and some old IDITAROD restocks in CATALOGUE
So, read the newsletter.. it's pretty.
More soon...
Mkl.
[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : SEVENTH DAY OF MARCH ]
Lots to cover! So let's get into it, shall we?
A little over a year ago Bluesanct released the debut album by CAETHUA, entitled 'Village of the Damned' (INRI083). Everyone liked it, and so we've done up a limited edition run of 300 copies on CD. The CD will be available in stores and distros starting MAY 12th, but it is available in the CATALOGUE NOW!
Also in the CATALOGUE are a whole bunch of new arrivals on various labels by Bluesanct related artists; a couple from BLACK FOREST/BLACK SEA, a VOLLMAR LP, an early cassette from ANNELIES MONSERE (as well as her recent collaboration with JESSICA BAILIFF and a couple rare CD releases by our newest member to the family, BODUF SONGS.
We getting back in a small quantity of the long out-of-print and highly requested 'The Ghost, The Elf, The Cat and The Angel' by THE IDITAROD (INRI065, 2002). If you want us to hold a copy for you, let us know and we'll contact you when we get them back in stock.
Just done a DREKKA update at the DREKKA SITE... read it there for detailed info. To paraphrase what it says over there, DREKKA is going to be on tour of the east coast of the US in mid-March. DREKKA also has a few upcoming releases, incl. the first in a series of releases collecting the early cassette albums and their varied satellite recordings. More info can be found HERE.
The fourth release in our art vinyl series is being completed. I am very happy to announce it will be the amazing minstrels of misery, BODUF SONGS. This 10" will feat. an exclusive 12+min track entitled 'inviolate projection, blood from rome (blankets)'. More info soon. Let us know if you want to be put on a list to be notified when a pre-order offer will go out.
We have had a couple reviews trickle in since the last news update. We don't go out of our way to give the media handjobs or toy cars, but we are always willing to send listening copies of our releases to people who still care about music and write from the heart.
DREKKA - 'Extractioning' review:
• HERE (in DUTCH, with English translation HERE)
CINDYTALK - 'silver shoals of light' reviews:
• HERE (in ITALIAN)
• HERE (in DUTCH, with English translation HERE)
(anyone who speaks Italian, we would LOVE YOU if you would translate this review for us!)
The next two CDs out on Bluesanct are also almost finished. They are the long awaited BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST and SYNTHESISIA.
For years, I've raved endlessly about Nathanael Markham's beautiful post-4AD songs and sounds... BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST will see his music finally released on CD... it is a collection of 4 mini albums privately released on CDR by Nathanael, along with linking pieces. I am very excited for you to hear it, and those who have heard the preview tracks on the label sampler have already shown much anticipation.
SYNTHESISIA is the newest offshoot of the fruitful songwriting duo of Isaac Edwards and Michael Tapscott. Slipping in nicely alongside their other projects ODAWAS and MORE ANIMALS OF THE ARCTIC, Isaac takes the main writing duty on this one, providing a beautiful CD that could easily be a long-lost Popul Vuh/Herzog soundtrack... including it's cinematic title 'I Dreamed a World of Darkness and You the White Light Shining'... Gorgeous stuff!
Both will be limited to 300 copies on CD. With the current state of the economy, we must take a moment to think about how we can continue as artists without losing our shirts... and here at Bluesanct, we decided the motto of 'less of more' is a good one to try for a while... smaller runs of more releases for as cheap as possible. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Come out and see Drekka on tour this month, if you have a chance. Say hi! (Tour dates can be found HERE)
I'll be back after tour with more... stuff to say.
Mkl.
[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : TWENTY-SECOND DAY OF JANUARY ]
I just posted most of this news over at the DREKKA WEBSITE... so, I'll just repost it here for now. Not much else has happened around here besides this stuff anyway... we are closing in on finishing the new batch of releases, though... so, keep an eye out!
For now, the news is:
DREKKA - 'PIA:Flight 813/761' (C-30)!!!
The Imperial forces are guarding the new DREKKA cassette, but you can get one (if you know the password... and have $7). My good friend DYLAN ETTINGER just released this tape on his new cassette label, EL TULE. It's available NOW over at the BLUESANCT SITE.
This cassette, entitled 'PIA: Flight 831/761' is a 30 minute sound journal I recorded in the airspace of Pakistan on October 16, 1999. While travelling home from Nepal that day, my friends and I were delayed for a few hours in Karachi airport because there was a coup happening in Islamabad! We weren't in any danger, but it was still quite intense.
Side A features an extended spontaneous harmonium piece entitled 'Ke Garne' (Nepalese for 'What to do')... layered harmonium melodies blend with the sound of the airport and CNN reporting the coup live as it unfolds.
Side B features a 15 minute master-mix of the exciting in-flight entertainment offered on board PIA... enjoy the sound of the plane and an eclectic A.D.D. shitfest of sound!
This is the first in series of audio journal cassettes from the Drekka archives... the next one, recorded in and around Kathmandu, Nepal, should be out in a month or so... followed by... ?
In other news relating to Drekka and DYLAN ETTINGER, we will be heading east for a 'Spring Break 09' tour in March... most of the dates are confirmed and listed already on the DREKKA MYSPACE PAGE (and don't forget to friend us).
Let me know if you will be coming to a show so we can meet up.
I am still working on the Drekka archiving project... came across some great video footage the other day... and I am still looking for a home to a few misc. projects... so, if you've got a label and would like to add DREKKA to your roster... BE IN TOUCH!
I'll be back in a few weeks with more exciting news... or with something, at least.
Mkl.